How the Japanese do Mod

To celebrate its 30th year, Shu Uemura international artistic director Kakuyasu Uchiide flew to Manila to demonstrate the latest from his Eye-conic collection, an assortment of eyeshadow palettes he designed. With a live makeup demonstration highlighting Mod, a pervasive trend that made its way down the runways of Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Alice & Olivia and Moschino, Uchiide debuted his ’60s-themed look, next to associate Shu Uemura artists’ take on iconic looks of the brand. YStyle sat down with Uchiide to talk Twiggy and technique.

What is new or modern about this ’60s look?

The look features a modern graphical eye makeup which is a major trend in the ’60s. It also features eyelashes with a silk appliqué which features colors linked to the eye-conic palette. The look is very outstanding and will indeed enhance the eyes of the wearer.

What are the colors of the season?

Pastels — pink, orange, blue and green for the eyes. For the lips, vivid colors like pink and orange are in trend. As the ’60s trend is coming back, black and white eye makeup would make a good strong color as well.

What were the references for your ’60s look?

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Twiggy, super model and fashion icon, because she heavily influenced the decade. Eye-conic is all about vintage bold, as shown in pictures of known ’60s supermodels.

A lot of makeup artists have been praising a new breed of sponges for a seamless finish instead of brushes. Can it replace the foundation brush?

Tools are dependent on the person — may it be the preference or skills. Of course, using sponge is easier because sponge absorbs foundation better so it is less prone to mistakes. Brush requires a certain skill when used. However if you want a professional finish, brush is definitely better to use. Our Shu Uemura brushes however are very easy to use and professional or not — it can control the amount of foundation you put on.

What new textures are you seeing in makeup?

We have been seeing trend of semi-matte or natural finish for face makeup, so you need a good tool and product which can produce natural-looking results. Our dual fit powder can achieve this seamlessly with its dual-textured powder — which has the benefit of having a moisturizing powder and anti-shine powder in one compact. It is important that a powder has a moisturizing benefit for dry areas and anti-shine for controlling oily areas.

For lips, as vivid colored lips are very in trend right now, the Drawing Lip pencil and Rouge Unlimited Matte lipstick can achieve a fuller lip look. Fill in the lips with Drawing Lip Pencil and top it off with Rouge Unlimited Matte lipstick for a vivid look.

Most iconic

Over its three-decade run as one of the leading Japanese skincare and cosmetics labels, Shu Uemura has pushed the envelope when it comes to beauty. Here, a round-up of their most iconic looks by Shu Uemura associate makeup artists.